1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates pill dispensers, and more specifically, to an automatic pill dispenser that dispenses the correct amount and types of medications and supplements at specified times and dates.
2. Description of the Related Art
Medications, vitamins, supplements in the forms of pills and capsules are typically provided in plastic containers with twist-off caps. A user typically ingests multiple pills of different types at specific times as according to the user's medical prescription or supplement needs. The task of manually opening each plastic container, extracting the correct number of pills, then closing the container again for a number of different containers is not only time consuming, but also tiring and requires mental focus. It is not uncommon for a user to make mistakes in extracting the desired number of pills from a plurality of plastic containers. This is an exacerbated problem for users who are suffering from memory loss or other mental impairments or users who have arthritis or other physical impairments.
A number of devices have been developed for automatically dispensing pills. U.S. Pat. No. 7,359,765 discloses an electronic pill dispenser includes a container and a cap removably attached to the container. Components of the pill dispenser include a power source, pill dispenser circuitry, a real time clock, a counter, a display, a dispensing mechanism, a sensor, a visual indicator, an audible indicator, an input/output interface, an input output port, and a communication bus electrically interconnecting the components.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,427,865 discloses a device and method for dispensing pills or vitamins is disclosed which includes a rotatable chamber within a housing. The chamber contains multiple slots for storing the pills or vitamins, and the housing has at least one dispensing hole so that pills will fall from the containment slot when it is aligned with the hole. The chamber may be rotated by motorized or manual means, with the preferred motorized means being an electric motor connected to a worm drive that engages gear teeth along the edge of the chamber, and the preferred mechanical means being a handle with a hinged tab.
None of these disclosures, either individually or in combination, discloses the features of the present invention as claimed.